Cytochrome P450 17A1 (steroid 17α-monooxygenase, 17α-hydroxylase, 17-alpha-hydroxylase, 17,20-lyase, 17,20-desmolase) is an enzyme of the hydroxylase type that in humans is encoded by the CYP17A1 gene on chromosome 10. It is ubiquitously expressed in many tissues and cell types, including the zona reticularis and zona fasciculata of the adrenal cortex as well as gonadal tissues. It has both 17α-hydroxylase and 17,20-lyase activities, and is a key enzyme in the steroidogenic pathway that produces progestins, mineralocorticoids, glucocorticoids, androgens, and estrogens. More specifically, the enzyme acts upon pregnenolone and progesterone to add a hydroxyl (-OH) group at carbon 17 position (C17) of the steroid D ring (the 17α-hydroxylase activity, ), or acts upon 17α-hydroxyprogesterone and 17α-hydroxypregnenolone to split the side-chain off the steroid nucleus (the 17,20-lyase activity, ). Structure Gene The CYP17A1 gene resides on chromosome 10 at the band 10q24.3 and contains 8 exons. The cDNA of this gene spans a length of 1527 bp. This gene encodes a member of the cytochrome P450 superfamily of enzymes. The cytochrome P450 proteins are generally regarded as monooxygenases that catalyze many reactions involved in drug metabolism and synthesis of cholesterol, steroids, and other lipids, including the remarkable carbon-carbon bond scission catalyzed by this enzyme. The CYP17A1 gene may also contain variants associated with increased risk of coronary artery disease. Protein CYP17A1 is a 57.4 kDa protein that belongs to the cytochrome P450 family. The protein encoded by its cDNA is composed of 508 amino acid residues. As an enzyme, CYP17A1 possesses an active site that associates with a heme prosthetic group to catalyze biosynthetic reactions. Based on its known structures while bound to two steroidal inhibitors, abiraterone and galeterone, CYP17A1 possesses the canonical cytochrome P450 fold present in other complex P450 enzymes that participate in steroidogenesis or cholesterol metabolism, though it orients the steroid ligands toward the F and G helices, perpendicular to the heme group, rather than the β1 sheet. Expression Expression of CYP17A1 has been found in all of the traditional steroidogenic tissues except the placenta, including the zona reticularis and zona fasciculata of the adrenal cortex, the Leydig cells of the testes, the thecal cells of the ovaries, and, more recently, in luteinized granulosa cells in ovarian follicles. In addition to classical steroidogenic tissue, CYP17A1 has also been detected in the heart, kidney, and adipose tissue. In the fetus, CYP17A1 has been reported in the kidney, thymus, and spleen. Function CYP17A1